Piece of the Week: ‘Boy Who Cried Wolf’ by Lauren Rakes
We’ve all heard of Aesop Fable’s The Boy Who Cried Wolf, in which an attention-seeking boy falsely calls out that he is being attacked by wolves, until one day he actually is being attacked and nobody comes to his defense because he’s been branded a liar. This fable is perfectly encapsulated in our latest Piece of the Week “Boy Who Cried Wolf” by illustrator Lauren Rakes.
"Boy Who Cried Wolf" (Tote Bag) by Lauren Rakes
Lauren’s illustration juxtaposes a set of skillfully rendered hands against a digitally drawn background of sheep and wolves circling the central boy. It’s an allegorical tale of caution set in a swirling chaos of moving animals.
The way Rakes has used negative space in the body of the figure to provide a point of rest for the viewers’ eye makes this piece particularly strong. The mass of animals could quickly become too overwhelming — or get lost — in a lesser illustration, but Rakes has mastered the way our eyes look for moments of respite and calm in drawings to comprehend the entire image. I love Rake’s use of her color palette with the gold, brown and olive colors complimenting one another nicely.
It makes a great tote bag, throw pillow, or more.
